Monday, 30 September 2013

Firstly on Saturday night there was Ninove (just down the road from Bethlehem & Nazareth, but in Belgium!), where we gave our Madrigal to McCartney show - splendid welcome and excellent food at a local restaurant before the show.
We were joined for this show by the lovely Tylaine Van den Broeck on piano; delightful to have her with us... a terrific addition to our list of musical friends...

Then the next morning (up less early than the day before!) we appeared once again on De Zevende Dag - Andrew Marr-type show... hopefully we were a welcome counterpoint to politicians arguing with each other (and the journalists skewering all their arguments very well!)...
We sang a short version of Penny Lane, & Scarborough Fair with Tylaine on piano...
When we get the link to this online - we'll share it with you...

Time to rest you might think, but then it was on to the Eurostar to get home in time for a 6pm show at the Chelsea Arts Club:- started by the painter Whistler, it is a club for artists & creative people where no photos (and thus phones these days) are allowed... so I cannot show you anything about, or even tell you who was there! But the crowd were a delight and we had a great time entertaining them, and a very fine meal afterwards...

Saturday, 28 September 2013

A busy four days in Belgium, started with an evening in Scherpenheuvel-Bever at Den Egger... singing Best of British - Madrigal to McCartney - great night for all... & an excellent reaction form the public... who tell us on facebook that they want us to return...(just ask...!?)

Then on to Strombeek for Best of British... And Now for Something Completely Different at the CC Strombeek Grimbergen - terrific chock-a-block audience loved it all, and we were joined for this show, as so often by the excellent Chris Hatt, who was ever-dependent on piano... He's gone to Amsterdam today to audition children for his day job... Musical director of Billy Elliot (in Holland from 2015)...
New mask for end of show... Kate Middleton appeared carrying a baby (well done, Steve) and Chris became Mr Bean...playing Chariots of Fire - what larks!
Lovely theatre and staff - just as we have come to expect in Belgium...

Up very early this morning (5.30) for an appearance on En Nu Serieus on VRT Radio 2. We had asked whether there was the possibility of an iron, as there was an audience for the show... at first they suggested not, but then they found a local company (this show wanders the country & is in a different place each week - Harelbeke today!) who would (on radio) show off their pressing prowess... so our costumes were ironed live on air... it was quite odd standing in our underwear on the stage while we waited (I jest)... Despite the hour Penny Lane came out in a recognisable fashion!
Steve was then interviewed about chip shops... he tried to talk about our concerts!
We were back in our hotel rooms by ten to catch up on sleep...

...Before tonight's Best of British - Madrigal to McCartney at Ninove... with Tylaine Van den Broeck on piano...

Another dawn raid tomorrow, as we sing two songs (with Tylaine) & have an interview on De Zevende Dag (Andrew Marr / Sunday politics-type show)... In studio by 8am!
Hooray...
I am very aware we are doing some TV as I have a wonderful boil/spot on my nose... medley from Cyrano de Bergerac anyone? (this always happens - TV make-up will disguise!)

Then back to UK via Eurostar (marvellous) for a show at Chelsea Arts Club...

Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Well, we landed in the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schwerin & were very impressed!
We have to admit to not having heard of it before!
A beautiful place - Schwerin castle looking gloriously Disney and lots of lakeside loveliness...

It was another splendid 'a cappella nacht' - we were with two other groups; our old friends, the lovely Medlz from Dresden, and some new friends, Juice Box from Northern Germany...
Great to see the girls again, and they began the evening wonderfully, coping well with the declining temperature; then Juice Box gave us their folk/latin/a cappella music... mostly written by one of the group Joachim Rust... delightful!

As ever, such a pleasure to share the stage with other vocal groups... and share our musics with an enthusiastic crowd...

Richard & Steve had great fun with the above; Richard flounced off (acting, for dramatic effect, natch) &Steve went to get him... in the dark Richard cracked his shins on the sheep... it did its job of protecting the wires well yet it did hurt Richard's legs! As Steve replaced the animal, Richard reminded Steve of his needing to think of legal issues when handling a sheep...

Monday, 9 September 2013

Two splendid evenings in late summer sun in Swiss (rain only coming as we came home!)...
Firstly a concert at the newly-refurbished hall at Gasthaus zum Trauben, Weinfelden... great place in which to sing & a delight to have our rooms just upstairs! As ever, old friends and new were there to greet us... very musical joining in with Lion Sleeps Tonight...

Then the next day on to sing at Michael & Fabienne Brandenburger's party at Greuterhof, Islikon:- a wonderful project (in which Michael is very much involved) turning old farm buildings into a restaurant, hotel & conference centre (the restaurant is already up and running)... we sang in the courtyard and four other rooms and up and down the stairs, as we shepherded the guests musically to & from the various parts of their culinary evening...
Lovely atmosphere, and the weather was well behaved despite all warnings in the negative...

Thanks to our old friend Silvan Isenring for organising all this (Lovely to see Andrea too, of course & delightful to see Michel sit through our whole gig - he's only wee!)

Monday, 2 September 2013

A Delightful birthday celebration evening at Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho last night.... the jazz singer Kate Dimbleby and also the drummer Sophie, both had round-numbered anniversaries (no, I will not tell you which they are!)...
Lots of musicians about, Geoff Eales & Naadia Sheriff (pianists), Jonty Fisher (Bass), the afore-mentioned Sophie, Bristolian singer, Alex Wiseman and a surprise guest, John Quejillo on guitar!

We sang (accompanying Kate, of course) He's a Tramp (with Geoff, Jonty and Sophie) & Everybody eats When They Come to My House - a Cab Calloway tune (with Naadia, Jonty and Sophie); as well as The Hi-Lo's (Gene Puerling's) glorious arrangement of Brahms Lullaby, and to keep the audience frisky Strangers in the Night.

Lovely evening - great to work with Kate and her friends, too; splendid singing - the taster of her Dory Previn and her Peggy Lee shows were terrific.... Geoff Eales did a monster of a piano solo - his own composition, Song for my Mother - beautiful...
A Guitarist at the bar asked to join in at the end of the evening and did marvellous flamenco guitar as well as adding excellent solos to the last two blues numbers of the evening! John Quejillo - thank you!